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sean johnson
United States
avon
Indiana
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Sorry, I could not resist posting a picture of our son. Race for the Galaxy was not our gateway game. However, it is fair to say that Race for the Galaxy is the game that really made us gamers. I got the game for Christmas in 2008. The steep learning curve this game often has associated with it was made easier for us because we had been playing San Juan since September of that year. Race for the Galaxy caught for us like wildfire. In 2009 we played the game 114 times. We followed up in 2010 with another 63 plays. However, last year we only played the game ten times. So is our love affair with Race for the Galaxy over or do we just have too many games?
Game Overview
If you do not know how to play Race for the Galaxy and really want to know, then please look elsewhere. The game is brutally hard to explain, especially in text. If you go to the game page, you can find a three part video tutorial on how to play the game. In a nut shell, players are building a space empire through planets and developments. There are 5 phases in the game, and each player will pick one and then reveal simultaneously. The five phases will only happen if a player picks one of them. The player that picked the phase will get a bonus. Phase 1 is explore, which gives people new cards. Phase 2 is develop, which allows players to play development cards. Phase 3 is settle, which allows players to play planet cards. Phase 4 is consume. Some planets will produce goods, and those goods can be consumed. There is a sub-phase of consume called trade, that allows a player who picked the phase to use a good to get more cards in hand. Some cards have consume powers, and these powers often let cards be turned into victory points. The Final phase is produce, which allows all eligible planet cards produce a good. One of the neat things about the game is that it is a card game where the cards are used for everything. Along with needed to be played for their abilities and point values, cards are also the currency of the game. So to play a card I have to discard a certain number of cards. Cards from the deck are even used to represent goods when they are produced. The game continues until a common point pool is depleted or someone plays their 12th card.
The Game We Played
We played with all three expansions, but we did not use any goals. I got off to a rough start, failing to get cards that had any good synergy together. My wife had the exact opposite problem. In fact in her words, "I have never, ever gotten so many prestige cards!" Prestige is an extra commodity/victory point type that the last expansion adds. Each prestige is worth 1 point at the end of the game. Early on she played the world that's value is equal to a player's prestige. She also played the development that gave an additional point for each prestige. Other than that, she played cards that gave her more prestige. At the end of the game she had 12 prestige. I finally got some traction, and had some production worlds with some means to consume goods. I then got out Tourist World, and I was able to consume for 12 points. Going into the last turn, I spent a prestige for the bonus prestige consume ability which allowed me to get extra points. I was also able to settle Alien Toy Shop, so on the consume phase on the final turn I got 24 points. This was not enough to catch up with my wife's amazing prestige engine and the points she accumulated throughout the game for being the prestige leader. She won with the final score being 79 to 66.
Our Thoughts
My Rating: 5 (Love it!)
My Thoughts: I like just about everything about this game. I love that it has a great mix of working on an effective long term strategy while making tactical decisions to make each turn the best turn possible. I like the feel of creating a resource engine and finding unique way cards can work well together. I like the aspect of trying to get in a player's head, figure out what phase they may be choosing and benefit from that. Finally, I like the space empire theme and the outstanding card art really brings this out.
Her Rating: 5 (Love it!)
Her Rating: Race for the Galaxy is still fun, but what I love most about the game is it that it is the first deep game I really took time to learn how to play well. I like playing Race for the Galaxy because I feel like I really know what I am doing when I play it.
Verdict
Combined Rating: 10
Race for the Galaxy is the second game to get a perfect rating from us. I am not sure why we played this game so little in 2011. This game may not always get 100+ plays, but it will always be a game we play. I can easily see us decades from now still getting out a well worn copy of Race for the Galaxy and enjoying it together. This is a game we will never get rid of.
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Keep playing (RftG)...
His face says: "We've been playing this game for flipping hours and I still don't understand these symbols! I mean, I get some of these "vowels," as you call them? O, e, and u, I can get, maybe, but a and i? That some times y stuff is right out! I'll pull this out in a couple of years and see if I can't make it make sense..."
